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I’m Bob Larson. Six states have joined the chorus of support for the Millennium Bulk Export Terminal project in Longview.

Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Utah, South Dakota and Nebraska filed a joint amicus brief in U.S. federal court arguing the case has broad implications for commodity exports from many states.

Washington Farm Bureau CEO John Stuhlmiller says the brief supports the previous lawsuit that argues the State of Washington is politicizing the process and denying permits for the sole purpose of blocking coal exports …

STUHLMILLER … “So, that is the argument. It’s specifically that the decision was dependent upon really, truly what commodity was being transported. It was coal and the impact internationally as well as the transportation of the coal to the facility, and all well beyond the scope of what the permit decisions were about.”

But the terminal would be used for more than just coal …

STUHLMILLER … “Absolutely. It’s a bulk export facility and with, as designed with some tweaking, it could easily handle any other bulk commodity including agricultural products.”

But, he says, it’s not over yet …

STUHLMILLER … “It’s only been, what, six years or whatever since this project started down the path, so it really is, you know, this is another step in trying to force a decision that would allow the project to go forward. But, it really does sit and wait for court action and that’s, you know, there’s no definiteness to when the court would act on these. So, that’s the bummer, is that it sits and we wait and you know another season goes by without the facility being constructed.”